Tag Archives: P.E.I.
New guidelines for boat gear in place after June death of lobster fisherman
New guidelines have been released to help protect P.E.I. fishing crews after a man was killed by a boom on a North Lake lobster boat this past June. Occupational health and safety officials spent months looking into the incident and hope their review will prevent further accidents. The investigation is now complete, but officials have not said whether there will be charges or fines related to the death. The man was underneath a boom being used to hoist out lobster traps when it suddenly lowered and struck him in the head and shoulder. In July, the Workers Compensation Board released a hazard alert highlighting the possible risks of using booms on lobster boats. Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:38
Lennox Island First Nation hoping for more access to lobster fishery
The Lennox Island First Nation wharf is busy these days, in the band’s third year of treaty fishing for lobster, but Chief Darlene Bernard would like to see it busier. Though there has been a commercial fishery based in the community off P.E.I’s North Shore for decades, Bernard said the newly exercised right to harvest lobster under treaties signed long ago means about 10 young families are better able to pay their bills. With a waiting list of about the same number of people who would like to take part in the fishery, Bernard wants to see more commercial licences made available for Lennox Island through a Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) purchase program. “We need to have an equitable share of the bounty of the resources in this province moving forward,” she said. Video, photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:20
‘The lobster looks good,’ North Shore harvester says after first trap hauled
Fishing crews on P.E.I.’s North Shore landed their first catch of the season on Monday, six days later than planned. And so far so good, said Stephen Ramsay, who fishes out of North Rustico. “The lobster looks good,” he said. “Nice shiny stuff around, hard shell, looks good.”It’ll be a few more days, however, before he and other North Shore crews know what they’ll be paid for it. Ramsay said the prices he’s heard have been “all over the map” so far. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:28
‘There’s no lobster worth a life’: P.E.I. fishers reminded lifejackets are mandatory
With many fishers beginning their season, occupational health and safety officials have been visiting harbours to reinforce the message around lifejackets. Regulations require their use. While some fishers might not have worn a life-jacket years ago, more people seem to be following the rules now, says Danny Miller, director of occupational health and safety with the Workers Compensation Board of P.E.I. “It’s a very positive change,” he said. “I hope fishers are doing the right thing and it’s not just because we’re watching. Hopefully they’re doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:46
A personal-use mackerel fishery is coming, but P.E.I. fishers don’t know when
Lobster fishers on P.E.I. say they’re happy to hear that a personal-use mackerel fishery will open this year, but they’re not sure it will help them with bait during the spring season. “If we got a chance to go get some, we certainly will,” said Allan Cody, who fishes out of Covehead. Mackerel is often used as bait in the lobster, halibut and other fisheries. Cody currently buys bait from a supplier in Tignish but it comes from waters near Iceland, he said. They’re frozen and then shipped to Canada. But “the fresher the mackerel the better.” photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:02
Southeastern P.E.I. lobster fishers prep for spring setting day
Lobster fishers along P.E.I.’s southeastern coast voted to go back to their traditional spring start date this year, but they’re going to have to start early again. In 2023, for the first time, there were two opening days for P.E.I.’s spring lobster season. Setting day for boats on the Island’s South Shore came four days earlier than the traditional opening of April 30. Lobster Fishing Area 26A includes 365 boats from harbours along the southeastern coast of P.E.I., from Victoria up to Souris. The spring season for LFA 26A was supposed to open on Friday but has now been postponed until Saturday due to weather conditions. The change in dates in 2023 was proposed by the South Shore fishers for a couple of reasons, including avoiding the time of year when lobsters are in their reproductive stage. Photos, video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:49
‘Unique mix’ gathers to solve lobster bait problem
Following the closure of mackerel and herring fisheries, P.E.I. lobster fishermen have been struggling to find an alternative bait that is affordable. This week in Charlottetown a diverse group of players in the industry came together to discuss solutions. “We’ve brought together government, we’ve brought together buyers, we’ve brought together harvesters,” said Ian MacPherson, executive director of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association. “It’s a unique mix and a lot of different perspectives but some great information coming out of it.” photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:56
P.E.I. fisherman fined for catching both undersized and female lobsters with eggs attached
An eastern P.E.I. fisherman has been fined more than $8,000 for having both undersized and female lobsters with eggs attached in his catch. Thang Quoc Tran, 66, pleaded guilty to the two charges under the federal Fisheries Act on Aug. 24 in provincial court in Georgetown. Federal Crown attorney Matthew Bradley told the court that on May 31, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) officers were at the Launching Harbour (fishing area 26-A) conducting compliance inspections. Tran’s fishing vessel was inspected, and officers located 77 undersized lobsters and three female lobsters with eggs. One of the female lobsters was also undersized. >>click to read<< 14:58
‘Alarm bells should be going off’: P.E.I. fishers reflects on low prices, poor weather throughout 2023 spring lobster season
Charlie McGeoghegan, chair of the P.E.I. lobster marketing board, wants answers as to why the price of lobster per pound was so low throughout the 2023 spring season. According to McGeoghegan, the price of lobster was $13.50 per pound up until the start of the season when it suddenly dropped by more than six dollars. As a result, fishers in the province lost more than $300 million in revenue, as the yield last year was more than 47 million pounds. “Alarm bells should be going off with the province as well, that’s a lot of revenue,” said McGeoghegan. Lobster fisher Art MacDonald of Souris said he’s had a hard time remembering a colder and wetter fishing season. >click to read< 17:07
Cutting-edge hybrid boat built by a P.E.I. company goes to its new home in New Brunswick
The vessel and the green technology were developed by P.E.I. engineering company Aspin Kemp & Associates. The lobster boat is called Hybrid One. Company CEO Jason Kemp said making a hybrid system work in smaller fishing vessels has been a challenge. “Because on the bigger vessels, a million dollar or multi-million dollar system can be justified as a cost, where on a small fishing vessel, it’s not. So we had to take a couple of decades of learning, and apply that to this concept to get those costs down and shrink the physical size of it down to integrate it into the repulsion system,” he said. Panmure Island lobster fisher Dana Lavers has been testing out the vessel for Aspin Kemp for the past few months. Photos,>click to read< 10:49
Expect more temporary closures of P.E.I. lobster fishery, DFO says
Future in-season closures of the P.E.I. lobster fishery are not out of the question as more endangered right whales are spotted in shallow waters, says Fisheries and Oceans Canada. A portion of Lobster Fishing Area 24 was shut down in May after two right whales were spotted off P.E.I.’s north shore. It was the first time DFO had to close off that part of the area due to a whale sighting, and it meant lobster crews had to move their traps to shallower waters. It’s likely not the last time it will happen, said Brett Gilchrist, DFO’s director of national programs. Video, >click to read< 15:25
23% of P.E.I. lobster boats inspected by DFO in May blitz violated Fisheries Act
Thirty-one out of 135 lobster fishing boats inspected in a blitz investigation in P.E.I. were found to be in violation of the Fisheries Act. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans conducted the inspection in Lobster Fishing Area 24 (North Shore), and 26A and 26B (East Point to Wood Islands to Victoria) between May 30 and 31. Written warnings are given in circumstances like a fisher not having a copy of their fishing licence on the boat at the time of inspection. But four of the violations were for summary offences. >click to read< 12:56
Areas closed to protect North Atlantic Right whales ready to re-open Friday in western P.E.I.
Charlie McGeoghegan, the chair of the Lobster Fishers of P.E.I., said the re-opening is good news. “They were fishing in 80 to 100 feet of water, a lot of them, and the lobster had just started to come on in that area. And then they were forced to pull all the gear out of that area and move it into 60 feet of water or less,” he said. “There’s basically 400 boats in that area or close to it. If you take all those boats and put them in a little narrow strip between the shoreline and 60 feet depth of water … it’s an over-congestion of gear.” McGeoghegan said losses over the past two weeks could be significant for some crews. >click to read< 14:28
‘Aggravation’ expected when part of lobster fishing area closes
Chris Wall is among those being asked by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to remove all their gear from a portion of lobster fishing area 24 before it closes on Tuesday at 5 p.m. due to the confirmed sighting of a North Atlantic right whale. “It will affect the bottom line because I think you’re going to find more people in a smaller area trying to catch the same amount of lobsters,” Wall said. “So … it will affect everybody. It’s just going to cause some aggravation, for sure.” Wall isn’t aware of any right whale ever getting caught in lobster fishing gear on P.E.I., he said. >click to read< 08:56
Right whale sighting shuts down lobster fishing section for at least 15 days
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is asking lobster fishers to remove all gear in a portion of Lobster Fishing Area 24 within the next 96 hours due to the confirmed sighting of a North Atlantic right whale. The whale was at the 10 and 20 fathom line in LFA 24 off the Island’s northern coast, the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association said in a release. Charlie McGeoghegan, chair of the P.E.I. Lobster Marketing Board, said the early closure is “very disappointing.” “It’s the heart of our season.” >click to read< 11:36
How warming waters around P.E.I. could affect snow crab and lobster
Research scientist Joël Chassé says as the atmosphere warms, the ocean waters around P.E.I. are also heating up. “Changes are happening. It’s not deniable anymore. And if the these changes don’t slow down, we will have to adapt to these changes.” Chassé said there are implications for some fish species, some positive and some negative. Fisheries and Oceans biologist Tobie Surette said that while lobster is a warm water coastal species, snow crab prefer deeper, colder waters. “Lobster has largely benefited from the warming climates, at least so far,” he said. Surette said they don’t know exactly why that is. (Snow Crab) And for now, they are doing well: “We’re at the third-highest biomass in the history of the survey right now.” But Surette knows that could change. He has been in contact with snow crab scientists from Alaska. Photos, >click to read< 18:51
P.E.I. fishers call spring lobster prices ‘a slap in the face’
Harvesters say they’re getting between $6.50 and $7 per pound from processors — less than last year, and about half what they were getting a few years ago. “That price we got in 2006, and you could buy a fishing fleet in 2006 for $200,000 and now they’re $1.5 million to $2 million. Everything has gone up … bait, fuel, engines, pickup trucks, rope, traps, buoys, everything,” McGeoghegan said. “So to expect us to go fishing for a price that’s 18 years old is a slap in the face. And we know for a fact … that the demand is high, higher than it’s been in the last 10 years, and supply is the lowest it’s been in 10 years.” Photos, >click to read< 07:52
Lobster fishers set traps off Covehead, P.E.I., with Fiona still on their minds
In many ways, Saturday was like any other setting day for lobster fishers at Covehead Harbour, P.E.I. There was some good-natured teasing as the captain and deck hands heaved the 50-pound traps onto the boats over and over until there was just enough room to squeeze themselves in before starting the engines and heading off to sea. But, thanks to post-tropical storm Fiona last fall, it was also not like any other setting day. But how the storm affected the lobsters crawling along the ocean floor was something on the mind of Allan Coady, a member of the Covehead Harbour authority whose family has been fishing lobster for four generations. “We’re really anxious to get out there and get our first pick and see what they look like because after that storm nobody really knows,,, Photos, >click to read< 19:41
Lennox Island, DFO strike deal for 2023 moderate livelihood lobster fishery off P.E.I.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it has struck a deal with Lennox Island First Nation for a treaty-protected lobster fishery off P.E.I.’s North Shore for the 2023 spring season. In a statement to CBC News, DFO says the one-year interim understanding was reached on Wednesday. The band had said its boats would begin to set about 1,000 lobster traps on Saturday with or without DFO approval. “The Government of Canada is committed to advancing First Nations’ Supreme Court-affirmed treaty right to fish,” DFO officials said in a statement sent to CBC News on Friday. “Designated community members are authorized to fish up to 1,000 traps total in Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 24 during the spring 2023 commercial lobster season … >click to read< 15:40
‘It’s the best time of year’: P.E.I. 2023 lobster fishing season opens on south shore April 26
The 2023 spring lobster fishing season opens this week along P.E.I.’s south shore, and excitement is building for what could be one of the nicest setting days in years. This year, there will be two opening days for the spring lobster season. Setting day for harbours along the south shore will be on Wednesday, April 26 – four days earlier than the traditional setting day of April 30. general manager for the Souris Harbour Authority, told SaltWire during an interview on April 24 he is excited about the early start. “It’s the best time of the year,” Daggett said. “We’d give up Christmas for it. It’s the best.” >click to read< 11:17
“The market has collapsed.” With crab season on the line, seafood producers’ association digs in its heels on price
Jeff Loder, executive director of the Association of Seafood Producers said Monday the crab market has softened in the past few weeks, and the group will not negotiate a new price with fishermen. “The market has collapsed. Prices need to reflect that,” he said. Loder said each day the industry is delayed, with fishermen in the Maritimes and Quebec already out on the water, the worse it is for everyone. “Snow crab is not selling. There’s a glut in inventory,” said Loder, speaking for the first time since the provincial price-setting panel set a minimum price of $2.20 Cdn per pound for harvesters, who responded with protests and say they can’t afford to fish for that price. “We need raw material to get those plants going, and to have any chance to compete with our competitors in Atlantic Canada, who are all fishing in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. at $2.25 a pound,” Video, >click to read< 16:00
P.E.I. harbours damaged by Fiona being readied for spring lobster season
At Red Head Harbour near Morell, about 75 per cent of the harbour’s infrastructure was damaged by the late September wind and waves from Fiona, and some of the repairs are expected to take years. “We had lots of room before and everybody had to tighten up. Everyone had to take less space to allow a couple more gears in the east wharf and the south wharf,” said David Sansom, president of the Red Head Harbour Authority. Ottawa designated $100 million for urgent harbour repairs as part of a $300-million recovery package for Atlantic Canada announced in the days after Fiona. Photos, >click to read< 07:05
Canadian Hurricane Centre says Hurricane Fiona will be ‘historic, extreme event’
The Canadian Hurricane Centre says Hurricane Fiona will make landfall in eastern Nova Scotia as a powerful post-tropical storm early Saturday. In a Friday afternoon briefing, Bob Robichaud, a warning preparedness meteorologist with the centre, cautioned people not to focus on the hurricane’s track since its effects will be felt across a swath of eastern Canada. Environment Canada says this includes much of Nova Scotia, P.E.I., southeastern New Brunswick, western and southwestern Newfoundland, and some parts of Quebec bordering the Gulf of St. Lawrence. >click to read< – Current Hurricane Conditions – Environment Canada (weather.gc.ca) 13:54
Prices down for Lennox Island, P.E.I. treaty fishery in fall season after challenges securing harbour
After opening with fewer than 300 traps in the spring of 2022, the band set the rest of its 1,000 traps on the south shore of P.E.I. this fall. Island fishers, though, have been facing the country’s highest inflation in that time, with costs for fishing expenses continuing to rise. And on top of that, prices have gone down since spring. Darlene Bernard, Lennox Island’s chief, says issues started with finding a harbour to launch the fall treaty lobster season. While the spring fishery opened in Lennox’s harbour without much issue, the fall fishery is on the Island’s south shore, where the band had to find a non-Indigenous harbour master willing to take them on. >click to read< 14:07
DFO investigation into snow crab catch irregularities in P.E.I. leads to court sentences
A Fisheries and Oceans Canada investigation into snow crab catch irregularities at the Souris wharf during the 2019 and 2020 seasons has concluded with several fishermen and two dockside observers being convicted and sentenced in P.E.I. provincial court in Georgetown. On July 28, Judge Nancy Orr dealt with the final matter before the court and found fishermen Leo Dorgan, 32, guilty of five charges under the Federal Fisheries Act for failing to hail-in, or report, as accurately as possible the weight of snow crab on board his fishing vessel the Black Diamond II. Dorgan pleaded not guilty and had a trial on July 21-22. He was fined a total of $11,000. >click to read< 12:27
Low prices, low catch wraps up P.E.I. spring lobster season
With global demand and lobster prices reaching record highs in Nova Scotia in the weeks leading up to P.E.I.’s spring season – around $17.50-18.50 a pound – many Island fishers were looking forward to a promising start to their season. “Typically, it drops a bit before we start because there are more boats in the water at that time, so we didn’t expect anywhere near that price,” said Charlie McGeoghegan, chair of the Lobster Marketing Board. “However, we did expect to start off where we left off last spring, which was in the $11-12 range.” That combined with the price of fuel being double what it was and bait being up 30 per cent, we thought maybe once we get a few weeks in, the price will get better. That’s what it did last year.” Instead, the prices dropped again by another $1.50 a pound, said McGeoghegan. Photos,>click to read<– 09:14
Lobster prices similar to 2021 though costs up, say P.E.I. fishers
Lobster prices are about the same as they were this time last year, but expenses are on the rise, says one P.E.I. fisherman. “Prices and catches are good,” said Malpeque lobster fisher Chris Wall. At the wharf, prices for fishermen are between $7 and $8 per pound, down from $8.50 and $9 per pound earlier in the season, said Wall. The 2021 minimum shore price between June 6-12 was $6.97 per pound while average market price was $9.78 per pound,,, >click to read< 18:55
Lobster prices in P.E.I. similar to last year, but rising fuel costs have had impact
Donnie MacPhee was on his way home when he saw the truck. “Lobsters. Canners: $9.00. Markets: $10.00,” the sign read. MacPhee stopped in and bought one market lobster, the bigger size, to make lobster rolls for him and his wife. He was one of several customers who stopped by Mike Lannigan’s truck in the Nimrod’s parking lot in Stratford,,, The rising cost of fuel has had some impact, but so have the other rising costs, said Lannigan. “Little bit of everything, right? Same as any business, going to throw it off a little bit. >click to read< 07:55
Lennox Island, DFO reach ‘interim understanding’ on lobster treaty fishery
The fishery hadn’t been authorized by DFO before it launched on May 7, which meant it could have been subject to enforcement including trap seizures or fines. “We have continued discussions with DFO in the hopes of reaching some kind of understanding that would see our community members able to exercise our treaty right to fish and harvest lobster, while respecting conservation and sustainability,” Chief Darlene Bernard said in a written release. >click to read< 17:18
No incidents, but tension simmering as Lennox Island launches treaty fishery
“Everything went smooth and no trouble and it was a great day,” said Kyle Sark, captain of the lobster boat Way Point. The treaty fishers were able to set about 240 traps on Saturday, but plan to set 1,000 in what they say represents the “moderate livelihood” to which they are entitled. They said they have had trouble launching boats, because local boat-moving companies say non-Indigenous fishermen have threatened to boycott them. And with no understanding with DFO in place, it is raising tensions in the fishing community. PEIFA strongly advocates for peace on the water leaving any enforcement related to this unauthorized fishery to DFO and other authorities. >click to read< 15:19
